Movies playing in town
10,000 B.C. (PG-13, 109 minutes) Roland Emmerich (Stargate, Independence Day) directs this big-budget SPFX extravaganza. It’s, well, 10,000 B.C., and a hairy, mammoth-hunting hero (unknown Steven Strait) is prevailed upon to rescue his tribe from a civilization of pyramid-dwelling slavers. Omar Sharif is in there, doing his best prehistoric work since The 13th Warrior. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
21 (PG-13, 123 minutes) Reviewed here. Opening Friday
The Band’s Visit (PG-13, 89 minutes) A band made up of Egyptian police officers leave their country to play the inauguration ceremony at an Arab arts center. Serendipitously, the group gets lost in a tiny Israeli town, leading to lots of cross-cultural comedy and drama. In English, Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles. Playing at Vinegar Hill Theatre
The Bank Job (R, 110 minutes) Jason Statham (The Italian Job, The Transporter) is in familiar territory, starring in this early-’70s crime caper about a would-be bankrobber targeting a London bank stuffed full of cash and jewelry. Unbenownst to our protagonist and his crew, the bank’s safety deposit boxes are also packed with secrets revealing a web of corruption stretching from London’s criminal underworld to the highest echelons of the British government. The mechanics are awfuly familiar, but director Roger Donaldson (Cocktail, Species) keeps things lively. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Be Kind Rewind (PG-13, 101 minutes) With Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) at the helm, you know you’re in for a weird ride. Jack Black and Mos Def play a couple of video store employees who accidentally erase every videotape in the store. In order to retain the store’s one loyal customer, an elderly lady with a shaky grip on reality, they set out to recreate every film in stock, armed with only a cheap video camera. The result is a two-man tour-de-force, covering The Lion King, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Driving Miss Daisy, Robocop and more. Soon, the whole town is getting in on the filmmaking action. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
College Road Trip (G, 83 minutes) Plump ex-“Cosby” kid Raven-Symoné continues to wish upon a star that she’ll morph into Miley Cyrus (Disney Channel show? Check. Recording career? Check. Nintendo DS videogame? Check. Tween-targeted movie? Check.) Here, Raven plays an overachieving high school student who decides to travel the country looking for the perfect college. Naturally, her overprotective dad (Martin Lawrence) insists on going with her. Oh, and there’s also a wacky pet pig in the car. Hijinks—you guessed it—ensue. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! (G, 88 minutes) Wacky Jim Carrey proably isn’t the best choice to play Dr. Seuss’ timid, persecuted environmentalist Horton, but at least the CGI animation does its utmost to replicate the author/illustrator’s wild worlds. Scattered around this tale of a selfless elephant who tries to convince his jungle cohorts that a microscopic world needs his protection are vocal ringers like Steve Carrell, Will Arnett, Carol Burnett, Dane Cook, Isla Fisher, Jonah Hill, Amy Poehler, Jamie Pressly and Seth Rogan. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Drillbit Taylor (PG-13, 102 minutes) Tired of being pushed around junior high, a trio of nerds hires a low-budget bodyguard (Owen Wilson) with an inflated résumé to protect them from the playground bully. Another slightly rude comedy from the Jeff Apatow brigade. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Juno (PG-13, 91 minutes) A labor of love from stripper-turned-writer Diablo Cody (author of Candy Girl) and director Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking), this sweet, smart and very funny flick easily earns a spot as one of the best films of the year. Snarky, cynical 16-year-old Juno (Ellen Page, Hard Candy) gets pregnant after a bout of boredom-induced sex with her best friend Bleeker (Michael Cera from Superbad). Ruling out abortion, Juno decides to have the kid and give it away to “some lady with a bum ovary or a couple nice lesbos.” The pitch-perfect dialogue, the lo-fi soundtrack, the spectacular cast and the perceptive story make this the cult comedy to beat. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Leatherheads (PG-13, 114 minutes) George Clooney directs and stars in this period screwball comedy about the birth of professional football back in the 1930s. Clooney is Dodge Connelly, the powerhouse captain behind a struggling football team. Hoping to boost attendance, our gridiron great convinces a straight-laced college sensation (John Krasinski from “The Office”) to join the team. Unfortunately, the new kid falls for Dodge’s gal, a spunky cub reporter played by Renée Zellweger. Opening Friday
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (PG-13, 92 minutes) Amy Adams (Enchanted) and Frances McDormand (Fargo) star in this ’30s-set comedy/drama about a middle-aged London governess (McDormand) who finds herself unfairly dismissed and tries to land a job as a “social secretary” for a glamorous American actress (Adams). It’s all a whirl of cocktails parties and witty banter as our mousy heroine gets a rapid-fire makeover while Cole Porter tunes and air raid sirens fill up the soundtrack. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Nim’s Island (PG, 95 minutes) A young girl (Abigail Breslin) living on a tropical island with her scientist father (Gerard Butler) turns to Alex Rover, the star of her favorite Indiana Jones-ish book series, for help when dad suddenly goes missing. As it turns out, though, the books are actually authored by Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster), a reclusive, agoraphobic New York writer. Together, these two unlikely heroines join forces to search for dad. Opening Friday
The Other Boleyn Girl (PG-13, 115 minutes) Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson star in this glitzy adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s best-selling novel. The historical storyline finds siblings Anne and Mary competing for the affections of England’s King Henry VIII. As any halfway decent Anglophile knows, neither girl kept her head on her neck for very long—which is part of the film’s problem. It looks good, but it’s notably glum. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
The Ruins (R) Scott B. Smith’s icky horror novel makes it onto the big screen. A group of friends embark on a leisurely Mexican holiday and, while stepping off the beaten path, stumbles across an archeological dig in the remote jungle. There, they encounter an ancient and bloodthirsty evil lurking among the ruins. Young cast includes Jonathan Tucker (“The Black Donnellys”), Jena Malone (Donnie Darko) and Shawn Ashmore (X-Men: The Last Stand). Opening Friday
Run, Fat Boy, Run (PG-13, 100 minutes) Comedians Simon Pegg and Michael Ian Black write the screenplay (sweet). David Schwimmer directs (shrug). Pegg (still hot off Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) stars as Dennis, a slightly overweight loser who ditched his pregnant fiancée (Thandie Newton) at the altar five years ago. He tries everything he can to win her back, but fails. When he finds out she’s about to marry a successful American (Hank Azaria), Dennis vows to get his life in order, starting by competing in the London Marathon. This is your basic, mainstream rom-com, but Pegg is deft at handling the slapstick stuff. Regal Downtown Mall 6
Semi-Pro (R, 90 minutes) The star player/owner/coach of a third-rate ’70s basketball team (Will Ferrell) finds out his Michigan Topics have an outside shot at being folded into the NBA—if they can dramatically increase their attendance. With the help of his teammates (Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin), he stops at nothing to attract attention. Typical but likable retro silliness from Mr. Ferrell. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4
Shine a Light (PG-13) Martin Scorsese heads back to his musical documentary roots, first glimpsed in 1978’s The Last Waltz. This career-spanning look at the Rolling Stones features some historical clips, but mostly highlights concert footage from their recent “A Bigger Bang” tour. Jack White, Buddy Guy, Christina Aguilera and Bill Clinton drop by for cameos. Opening Friday
Shutter (PG-13, 85 minutes) Honestly, the whole Asian ghost film thing is pretty played out at this point. At least this remake of a popular Thai film is directed by Masayuki Ochiai, who gave us semi-credible J-horror titles Parasite Eve, The Hypnotist and Infection. The atmospheric story revolves around a newly married couple (Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor) who discover ghostly images in photographs after a tragic accident. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4
The Spiderwick Chronicles (PG, 97 minutes) The popular young adult fantasy series comes to the big screen with hardly a whiff of Harry Potter about it. Three young children (including Freddie Highmore playing twins) move to a remote country mansion with their recently divorced mother (Mary Louise-Parker). There, they discover their great uncle’s legacy, a book detailing the lives of the fairies, goblins, brownies and other magical creatures that inhabit our world. Unfortunately, an evil goblin wants to get his hands on that book, forcing our young heroes to defend themselves. The cast is quite good (Nick Nolte, Joan Plowright and David Strathairn are among the adults), and the script (partially credited to John Sayles) is surprisingly mature. Way too scary for the little ones, though. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4
Stop-Loss (R) MTV Films thinks it’s found a way around the thorny issue of selling grim Iraq War movies to a disinterested public–simply fill the cast with hunky young actors. Ryan Phillippe (Cruel Intentions), Channing Tatum (Step Up 2: The Streets), Rob Brown (Take the Lead) and Joseph Gordon-Levett (“3rd Rock From the Sun”) are among the teen-friendly stars trying to make this melodrama about Texas army men called back on yet another tour of duty look like an episode of “Friday Night Lights.” Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Superhero Movie (PG-13, 85 minutes) For those who have diligently watched Scary Movie, Date Movie and Epic Movie patiently waiting for he day filmmakers would get around to making Superhero Movie, your long wait has finally been rewarded. Here we have an extremely timely spoof of 2002’s Spider-Man in which a kid named Rick Riker (TV’s Drake Bell) is bitten by a radioactive dragonfly and becomes Dragonfly! Are you laughing yet? How about if I throw in a cameo by Pamela Anderson? She was hot in 1995. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4
Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns (PG-13, 100 minutes) It’s called a vacation, Tyler. You should look into it. Honestly, we can go six months without seeing another filmic translation of one of you slapstick church plays in which you dress up in drag and impart some quaint moral about family. In this one, Angela Bassett plays a single mom who goes to Georgia for the funeral of the father she never knew. There, she’s introduced to the crass, fun-loving Brown family. … If daily doses of “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” over on TBS ain’t doin’ it for you, this should tide you over until Perry’s next feature comes out six months from now. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4
Vantage Point (PG-13, 90 minutes) Taking its inpiration, as so many other films have, from Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, this political thriller presents a crime as seen from five different viewpoints. Seems that some terrorists (or are they?) have tried to assassinate the President of the United States (or have they?). A host of witnesses (or are they?), each present their own perspective on the crime, allowing us to see the damn thing again and again and again (and again and again). Starry cast includes Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, Dennis Quaid, William Hurt and Matthew Fox. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4
